Different When it's You
by Cosmic Sky
Summary: While a proud flirt, there were times Sylvain's reputation worked against him, particularly when it came to the person who often had to take responsible for his skirt-chasing. It wasn't like he didn't appreciate her efforts, far from it. Getting her to see that wasn't going to be easy, but for the blonde knight whom he always stood with, it was all well worth the effort.


**Hey, everyone, as promised, I'm back with yet another plot bunny. I'll say this, at first, I did have some plans on shipping Ingrid with Dimitri as they seemed alike enough for things to click in my mind. Then Three Houses came out and I played it. **

**And I decided that a better pairing for the Blue Lions' Otome heroine was the house's resident skirt-chaser with surprising hidden depths and at times could really use a hug AND a blow to the head thus here we are. Also, expect to see some side pairings and headcanons. Enjoy! **

**I do not own anything.**

* * *

To say that life at the Officers' Academy was buzzing would have been a massive understatement. That said, one could argue there was a splinting divide as to why that was. In one camp, there were those who sat on edge due to the recent events-kidnappings, disappearances, and murders, all at the hands of a mysterious faction with unknown goals and motives save the elimination of the Church of Seiros. For the residents of Garreg Mach Monastery, this was reason enough to walk every step with caution in their eyes and ears. Next to nothing concrete was known about the enemy they were facing meaning every person was a potential suspect. Paranoia was high.

Or, it would have been had another incident not been going on as well.

The annual ball, arguably the most revered and feared social event of the school year. Some would argue the ball held more sway with students than the Battle of the Eagle and the Lion, a bold claim. It went without saying that a week in advanced dancing-fever took hold of the occupants of the academy, most of them were after all in the throes of their youth. Not to mention a good deal of them were nobles and such events were "in their blood". For some of them, the ball would be a make-or-break moment. Fueled by such thoughts, requests for dancing lessons tended to multiple by the dozen. Under such fertile conditions one could argue that the flowers of romance to bloom.

Normally, this would have been perfect for one young noble, a lad with bright orange hair and a flirtatious streak as towering as a mountain. Said noble was fully expected to be on the sidelines with countless other students watching scores of women, students and teachers, practicing their dancing in the open. He was indeed watching, but with one striking difference.

Sylvain Jose Gautier smiled and laughed as he watched his oldest and perhaps most treasured friend swiftly and lightly move her feet across the grass while her body twisted and turned in ever-growing graceful motions that left him absolutely mesmerized. Ever since his watching began, he could tell that Ingrid was making progress, even if she herself didn't believe herself to be making any. The truth was all around her, in the smiles and pointed fingers of her classmates, her teachers, and lastly Sylvain himself. He'd known Ingrid since they were children, he'd watched her grow from a little girl into a splendid woman and warrior, and now he was watching her transform into an amazing dancer.

Not that she knew that last part. After all, her attention was focused on the ground instead of looking up at the edge of the building overlooking the courtyard she and countless others were currently practicing in. No one was looking up, which was exactly what Sylvain had banked on when he chose this hiding spot. As he'd thought, it was perfect. Combined with his small buddle of supplies and he believed he'd found the perfect way to spend the afternoon.

Still, it wasn't all sunshine and roses. The more he watched his fellow housemate the more he realized he was going to be facing some stiff competition. As Ingrid danced, more and more eyes wondered over to her, some of them belonging to people Sylvain had a less than positive opinion of. He still remembered the way his blood had silently boiled during that mission to rescue her from an unscrupulous suitor with wicked designs on her and her impoverished family. It was somewhat fortunate that Ingrid herself had gotten to the man and dealt with him herself before the heir to House Gautier could. A few nights after that mission, he'd stopped and shuddered looking at his hands and picturing them with the blood of that arrogant noble. Sylvain believed that to be the second-to-last clue as to the strangeness plaguing his heart.

As he watched from his highpoint, it became obvious what this "plague was", as well as what the cure was. It was slowly but surely twirling away into a world of bliss and joy right beneath his eyes. Just seeing it was enough for him. His muscles laxed and his mind went blank as if he were at a theater or opera enjoying the show. Indeed, the show he was witnessing was a grade-A performance, one he would likely treasure for the rest of his life. A pity he could never tell that to the star-performer, at least not until the ball had passed and he was in "safe territory". Even then, there was no guarantee things would turn out well; Sylvain accepted that as just the memory would be enough to keep him going.

"I…I can't believe you!" Came a startled and most definitely angered male voice from the young man's six o'clock.

And just like that, paradise melted away dropping the orange-haired noble back into chaotic and unpredictable reality. Snapping his head around, he was meant with the sight of his House leader and friend, the future leader of Faerghus. The prince was not happy. "Um, uh, hey, Dimitri. Didn't expect to see you up here. Checking out the view too?"

His attempt at humor was not appreciated by the prince, whose brow was furrowed in an angry scowl that Sylvain recognized all too well. "I knew as soon as preparations for the dance began there would be trouble from you, but I trusted you, Sylvain. I trusted you not to do anything stupid or exceedingly profane. But this!" His voice rose so loud that the orange-eyed teen was sure it could be heard all the way on the ground.

Fueled by panic, he rushed forward, throwing his hands over Dimitri's mouth. Expectedly, the prince fought his grasp, flailing about in a way that would have been cause for a scandal had anyone seen it. Likely, no one was around to see it, at least not yet.

"Rmleamph mphis inppphmt, Mvylain!" Demanded the blond.

"Only if you promise to calm down and let me explain!" Snapped Sylvain, hoping that none heard their scuffle. "I know this looks bad, but trust me, it isn't what you think!" Dimitri glared at him, but his blue eyes briefly softened. Knowing it was his only chance, Sylvain jumped for it. "I came here to watch Ingrid!" Now he was concerned about his voice. If the subject of this little scuffle heard him then Sylvain knew the star he'd been following had vanished into the darkness of the night sky. Shutting his eyes, he pulled his hands away and waited for his friend's response.

The first thing he got was confusing. "Wh…what? Ingrid? You…you…"

"Yeah, you got me." Admitted the House Gautier heir throwing his hands up. "I came up here to watch Ingrid."

It seemed Dimitri's eye was close to twitch as his brain struggled to understand the inner workings of his skirt-chasing friend. Even after all these years, that was still something of a strenuous task. "You…you," he repeated putting a head to his head as if trying to contain the growing headache. "You climbed _up a building _putting yourself at great risk just for the chance to watch one of our classmates, whom you share a very civil and friendly relationship with?"

Picking up on his words, the house heir smirked. "Ah, you sound worried about me, good to know, future king of Faerghus."

"Sylvain, I _always _worry about you." Clarified Dimitri finally looking him in the eye. "Honestly, so much effort and fuss over something so trivial! Couldn't you have just watched from the sidelines like everyone else? I assure you, your presence wouldn't have drawn any attention!"

Within seconds, the orange-haired student's sunny expression darkened. Immediately Dimitri cursed himself for not reading the situation better. "Um, yeah, well…you see…no offense, but I think you're wrong there, Dimitri. I would have drawn attention, and honestly, that's what I'm trying to avoid." Sitting down, he allowed his shoulders to sag giving the usually upbeat lance-user a sullen aura. To say that it was off-putting and alarming to the prince of Faerghus would have been putting things lightly. "I'm going to spitball things here and say…you've gotten at least ten requests to the ball, haven't you?"

"Um, well I…you see…" Leave it to Sylvain to open-up a serious discussion with such a topic. Still, Dimitri had to press on in order to discover the root of his friend's strange behavior. "Actually, I have…somewhat lost contact. Would you believe it if I told you that some women have attempted some…less than put-together ways of persuading me to be their partner for the dance?"

Quick as lightning, House Gautier's heir's mood brightened. "That a boy!" The two lance-users shared a laugh temporarily breaking the built-up tension. It didn't last long. "Knowing you, you've turned them all down, politely if course. You can tell some of them just wanted you because of your reputation, right?" Dimitri's mouth opened, but no words came out. "You did the right thing in turning them down." There was a beat on his end. "For your sake…and theirs, trust me on this."

Dimitri felt his chest tighten as he recalled the vast number of offers and proposals he'd gotten from many a girl and even a few males across the academy. Naturally, he did his best to turn them down as gently as he could. Even then, some had persisted rather than give up. Sometimes things had researched such absurd lengths that Dedue had to step in, and sometimes their professor joined in as well concerned for their welfare. Speaking of which, he spotted some of the same suitors going after the teal-haired swordsman as well. Though shamefully, he'd watched some of the displays with a playful smile and even snickering. If the women couldn't nab him then they possessed little to no chance of courting the "Ashen Demon" who'd become one of the most eligible bachelors at Garreg Mach Monastery.

"You know the problem with becoming stars? Everyone wants to grab a piece of us." Interrupted the orange-haired heir.

"Last I checked, wasn't that the sort of thing you wanted to happen?" Pressed the blond crossing his arms. "I seem to recall every other hour of every single day there's a woman in front of you, behind you, or perhaps cursing your name. Honestly, Ingrid has her work in picking up after you, as do I and Professor Byleth."

Sylvain's laugh was hearty for a moment before it pattered off. That was the next indicator that something was deeply wrong with the ever upbeat young knight. Sighing, the heir to the throne reached out and placed a hand on his comrade's shoulder.

"Alright, I'd like the truth, the whole truth. You can start from the beginning so we can figure this out and I can help you." Softly ordered the blond.

Sighing in acceptance, Sylvain began not at the beginning but at the heart of the issue. "I want to ask Ingrid to the ball…but come on, you know me, Dimitri."

The prince's expression went cross. "Um, Sylvain, pardon me, but I'm failing to see how this complicates things."

He gave a humorless laugh at his friend's obliviousness. "Dimitri," Sylvain repeated sucking in a breath. "I'm…I'm serious here."

A minute passed, then another, and then another. Slowly, the realization dawned on the leader of the Blue Lions. Fittingly, his jaw dropped. "I…I, um…well that's…Sylvain…I'm…this is actually something to celebrate."

"…Huh?" Now it was the flirt's turn to be caught off-guard. Slack-jawed, he watched the prince seemingly relax like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Professor Byleth and I actually discussed the two of you somewhat, he was the one who pointed out that there might have been something blooming between you two while I was the skeptic. It seems once again his intuition was right." Clarified the lance-wielding prince. "Sylvain, if there is any woman whom I think you would _ever _seriously consider having feelings for, it's Ingrid. That said, I can…now understand where it is you're coming from. You haven't exactly presented yourself as the most eligible of bachelors, not to mention she is not the type to give serious consideration to thoughts of romance and perhaps one day marriage."

Sighing in both annoyance and humor at his friend's words. "So you see how we got here. I can't go down there, Ingrid will just think it's more of the same!"

"And thus you decide to climb up a building, with some treats procured from the dining hall, and spy on her with a…" Getting up, the prince walked over and held up the wooden and metal-lined monocular that Sylvain had been using to oversee the dancers. "Dare I ask what the story behind this is? Have you always had it? Can it see through walls? Have you fallen that low?"

"Hey! I'm a flirt, not a pervert!" Defended the noble walking over and snatching away the monocular from his friend's grasp. A candle lit in his head. "Why? Do you have need of it? Any one here at the academy you've been thinking of keeping an eye on?"

The blush on Dimitri's face was more than enough to get a laugh out of Sylvain, it also confirmed his suspicions.

"T-T-T-That's n-n-not important! S-S-Sylvain, t-t-this isn't about me, i-i-it's about you!" Defended the prince.

"Yeah, I know." Began the young noble. "Worse case, I never speak out and spend the rest of my life alone watching Ingrid go on with her life and perhaps meeting some super-cool knight who's able to keep up with her and eventually sweeps her off her feet."

"First off, you yourself are a vastly capable knight." Began the blond regaining a bit of composure. "Second, I believe you're being overly dramatic, again. While you may be…a handful, there is little doubt in my mind that Ingrid cares for you deeply, perhaps more so than you seem to think. Remember, when…Miklan transformed, she was quite eager to slay him so you wouldn't have to." It was a memory he was hoping to avoid bringing up, but Dimitri let it slip out anyway. To say that the mission had engrained itself into the minds of the Blue Lions had been an understatement. It was a memory of horror and sadness as they went from battling mere bandits to having to confront a monstrous blood-thirsty beast that _once _used to be the brother of one of their own.

Sylvain's face darkened as he too found himself reliving the battle that had ended with his older brother's demise. He'd prepared for things to go bad…but not even he dreamed that Miklan's usage of the Spear of Ruin without their family's Crest would go so horribly. Had it not been for the quick thinking of their professor, Sylvain was sure they wouldn't have made it out of that tower ruin alive.

And if not for Ingrid, he knew he would be dead.

"When I…when my father passed the Spear of Ruin onto me, you wouldn't believe how fast word spread. It was supposed to be a secret." Muttered the young knight with downcast eyes and a sullen voice. "It's not like I wanted the damn thing."

"I know you didn't, not after all the pain and suffering it and the Crest it requires has brought you." Soothed Dimitri. Less than a day after they'd returned from the mission requested by House Gautier and Sylvain had been "rewarded", news quickly spread that he now held his family heirloom, and he possessed the necessary Crest _and _skill to use it properly. Though he'd lavished in some of the attention, Dimitri noticed that not once did Sylvain ever bring the spear itself out on anything except the most important of missions. He could hardly blame him. "You know, Ingrid's in a similar position as you. After she was gifted with the Spear of Lúin I believe the number of suitors she's had to fend off near tripled."

"Exactly, which leaves…me, the guy who does what he wants when he wants, I'm not sure her father would approve of me." Concluded Sylvain with a self-mocking smile.

Just as his mouth opened to offer a rebuttal, Dimitri's trained ears picked up the rising wave of unified voices. Curiously, he turned around and peered through the monocular. "My word! I didn't know the professor could…"

"Could what? Hey, let me see."

A minute later and Sylvain…regretted his actions.

It was an established fact that Byleth Eisner was an enigma, one that several had devoted much time and effort to attempting to unravel. The mysterious mercenary day by day gradually unraveled for them, showing different and often surprising sides of himself to the monastery's populace. Sylvain, Dimitri, and dozens of others were witness to yet another amazing reveal.

The Ashen Demon apparently knew how to dance.

And dance well.

Men and women alike stood captivated by the black-armored professor as he graceful spun and twirled a completely and utterly star-struck Ingrid around in his arms. His expression wasn't as blank as one would have thought, looking closely, one could have spotted a soft and gentle smile on the swordsman's face. Gradually, a similar smile blossomed on Ingrid's face as she too got into the mood and began to contribute to the dance.

Sylvain suddenly felt like hurling himself off the top of the building. No poetic last words or big speeches, just a step and his handsome face splattered across the monastery grounds.

"I…never knew the professor knew how to dance, then again, I have seen his footwork in battle. He mentioned several times that footwork was important in wielding weapons." Noted Dimitri half blind to his friend's growing dread. "At this rate, Ingrid may just have a decent shot at winning the White Heron Competition. Isn't that good-Sylvain? Is something the matter?"

It took close to half a minute for the Crest-bearer to respond to his leader's question. "Huh? Oh, what me? I'm good! I'm great! In fact, I think I may just have fallen in-down!" Without thinking, he threw himself onto Dimitri, catching the prince by great surprise as he suddenly found himself squished against the tiled rooftop. "Did he see us? I think the professor saw us!"

"What? Sylvain, now you're just being paranoid!" Snapped Dimitri attempting to rise only to be pressed down by his friend. Giving up, he sighed and looked to him with an impatient frown. "All of this is only complicating an issue that's extremely simple and easily solved-ask Ingrid yourself! Honestly, what's the worse that can come of it? She laughs it off? She's laughed at you before."

"Yeah, but before, I was never serious." Grumbled Sylvain. "Besides, I…um…"

"Need I remind you of my previous words?" Dimitri pressed raising an eyebrow.

"I don't want her reputation getting dragged down because of me. I mean, I've hit on practically every girl at the academy _except _her. She's…this time I'm…I'm serious. I don't want to, you know, bring her reputation down or something like that."

There was an audible pause from the leader of the Blue Lions as he digested everything he'd heard in the last seven minutes. It was quite a lot to absorb, but what as he put all the pieces together, he couldn't help but smile. _I suppose Professor Byleth and I will no longer have to keep worrying over you two, not anymore hopefully. _"Here is a suggestion, ask her after the White Heron Competition, be the first to congratulate her and request her to be your partner for the ball."

Sylvain muttered a silent thank you to Mercedes and Annette for practically gang-pressing Ingrid into attending the ball.

"Alright, fine, I'll take some advice from Faerghus' future king."

"Good, now then, let's get down from here before someone sees us." Stated Dimitri already beginning the slow crawl back down. "Wait a moment, how exactly did you get up here in the first place?"

"Oh, Professor Byleth gave me and Ashe something of a crash course in stealth and climbing. We did it while you and Flayn were managing the stables about a week ago. Picked up some pretty neat skills as you can see."

"Skills I trust you won't use for wrong?" Pressed the prince.

"Hey, hey, you know me better than that."

There was a pause before the blond rose with a warm smile. "You're right, I do know you, which is why I five this venture my full support. Just don't hurt her."

Dimitri knew he didn't need to say the words. While he knew that his friend could be…infuriating when it came to his mishaps with the ladies. But Ingrid was a different story. Whenever she was brought up one thing was for sure-Sylvain Jose Gautier would be at his absolute best. Not for the sake of his family or his kingdom, but for the sake of one of the people who he held closest to his heart.

* * *

"I…I can't believe I won! I fully expected the judges to pick Dorothea or perhaps someone else like Hilda!" Ingrid continued on, feeling like she had all the energy of the sun swelling up inside of her.

"Honestly, I'm a bit surprised myself, not that I doubted you." Whistled the teal-haired teacher of the Blue Lions.

Looking to the mercenary with a giggle, Ingrid playfully jabbed at him. "Professor, with all due respect, you just contradicted yourself. There isn't any chance you probed the judges, did you?"

"Notice I've been hanging out with Claude, have you?" Coolly answered back the instructor looking to the blonde knight with a warm smile. "I assure you, your victory was entirely to your own efforts, as they always are."

"But it was thanks to your guidance." Remarked the horse-riding student. "It's thanks to you that I've made it this far, that any of us in the Blue Lions have made it this far. Professor Byleth you're…you're really an inspiration to us, that and a…well, you're someone I believe we can all talk to."

Byleth silently took the compliment. He knew that Ingrid knew that he was going to ask a question. Said question was one they both knew was coming. For the moment, they were seemingly alone so the black-armored mercenary could let some of his stoicism fade away. That, and he could tell that his student was going to be needing some guidance. Albeit, the kind of guidance she needed was more of the emotional kind, something even _he _struggled with.

_**Simply take it as a learning experience for yourself. **_Chimed in his unwanted but now accepted "guardian goddess".

That's what he'd taken to calling interacting with his students, and even his fellow teachers as well. It had been a rewarding experience, at least as far as he was concerned.

Stretched out before them lay the mountains and forests that surrounded Garreg Mach Monastery, a scene of natural beauty. It wouldn't be long before the sun began to set in and night took over. Once it did students would either be in town or in their dorm rooms while the teachers moved on to their respective night lives, be it grading, socializing, or resting. Byleth would be no exception, but first he had to hear out the concerns of his house's most aspiring knight.

"You know," he began, after this, you're going to be receiving quite a number of requests. All I ask is that you do your best to turn them down as gently as possible. Should you need advice, I highly recommend Dimitri since he's currently gaining similar attention."

A full-hearted sigh flew from the braided girl's lips. "I know, it's one reason why I was secretly hoping that I would lose. Hilda and Dorothea could certainly use the attention more than me."

"Oh, they'll be getting it. I don't have any worry of that." Responded the sword-swinging professor. "Just as many eyes were watching them as they were you. Even though you didn't win, they certainly left impressions on the crowd."

"Yes, of that, I'm certain." Grumbled the blonde.

"Worried about losing our beloved flirt to another house?" Quietly sniped the Ashen Demon.

His words hit right home, causing the formerly annoyed knight to transform into a flustered mess. "S-S-Sylvain w-w-w-would never d-d-d-do such a thing! S-S-Sure he plays around, b-b-but his loyalty to the Blue Lions, Dimitri, to all of us is as unshakable as a mountain. P-Professor, how could you even suggest such a…" She'd almost gotten through the entirety of her declaration when she noticed the keen glint in Byleth's eyes. She recognized that light. It shined only when someone had walked into a trap that he'd set, be it verbal, academic, or battle related. Ingrid realized she'd just walked into the first one, blindly. "Professor, please, don't tease me like that."

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself." Lightly chuckled the young teacher. "He was watching you, ya' know."

The female knight rolled her eyes. "Of course Sylvain was watching me, He was watching everyone."

"That means he was watching you." Pointed out the Blue Lions teacher looking anywhere but the green eyes of his student. Finally, he did spear her a sideways glance. She wasn't amused. "You care for me, arguably more so than the others. If I could see that, then so too can the others."

"I care for him because he needs it, Sylvain is…Sylvain; if someone doesn't look after him who knows what kind of trouble he'll get into." Sighed the Crest-bearer.

Byleth looked out over the horizon, his gaze distant and unreadable. "I can imagine several things, not all of them pretty, but not all of them bad." Gradually, he begun to tell some stories from his time traveling with his father's mercenary band. Many of them had left the students slack-jawed and starry-eyed, others had left them significantly mortified. The reactions had left him either laughing to himself or smiling. "Sylvain is Sylvain…what exactly does that mean, Ingrid?"

She could feel him guiding her to a destination that she didn't want to go to. Ingrid knew she could fight it, but fighting it might not work out as well as she thought it would. In her heart she knew this wasn't a battle she could win. That wasn't going to stop her from trying. "He's a skirt-chaser, insensitive in the most serious and delicate of times, like Flayn's disappearance for instance-"

"True, but he bounced back rather fast and proved to be just as dedicated to finding her as everyone else did." Byleth softly interjected. "In fact, he remained by her side to make sure she was alright."

"Well, of course he would. As annoying as his flirting can be, once he shows care, it's as genuine as the rays of the sun on one's face. It's warm and bright, just the sort of thing you could use when…" She was doing it again. Immediately, Ingrid realize the road she was on was a one-way track and that she'd best change course, so she did that. "Excuse me, Professor Byleth, but I-I have other things that I must be doing. For the sake of my family and the Blue Lions, I will be attending the ball."

"Happy to hear that." Byleth fired off.

Swallowing the growing lump in her throat, Ingrid straightened up and dared to broach the topic that her teacher had laid out for the two of them. "If I may, do you…plan on…going to the ball with anyone?"

Surprisingly, she got an answer. "I have…something planned for the night. I'll be there if that's what you're asking."

For Ingrid, that was enough, there was no need to press any further. If she did, she risk further digging herself deeper. "I see, then farewell, I will see you in class tomorrow!"

Byleth watched her gradually disappear from his field of vision leaving him alone atop the rampart overlooking the forests and mountains. Or, almost alone.

_**I'd say that went…as well as it could have. **_Spoke Sothis swinging her feet over the ledge. _**Still, do you believe that this will be enough to get them to finally confess their feelings, or at least acknowledge them? **_

_Honestly, no, I don't, but it doesn't hurt to try. _Answered the human. _It's…strange, on the battlefield, they're about as fearless as they can be. Ingrid's always taking the lead with Sylvain following behind her. Target one and the other's covering them in a heartbeat. They're…well, I never really thought I'd be presiding over a battle couple. _

_**You humans and your terms, though I must admit, this "battle couple" that you've described…it is something to behold. Speaking of couples…**_

He heard the clanking of her armor and deep sighing of the female knight as she joined him in throwing her hands over the stone walls.

"I'll admit, I have absolutely not idea how you just did that, but…I'm glad that you did. She could have used some words of wisdom." Admitted the tan-skinned blonde before looking to the teal-haired teacher with a grin. "For someone claimed to be emotionless and stoic, you've awfully good at reading people and figuring out what it is they need."

"It's thanks to the students." Reaffirmed Byleth, his face morphing into a serene smile as a pleasant wind blew in from the mountains. "They're the first people I've ever really openly interacted with, the first people that…really seemed to want to get to know me. In turn, I want to get to know, actually…I want to get to know as many people here at the monastery as I can. Including you."

Catherine let out a hearty laugh. "Should I be honored or offended I'm in a special category all by myself?"

"Well, you have been stalking me like a predator."

"Correction-watching you, and I'll be watching you at the ball." Proclaimed the feared and respected knight.

Sothis giggling at his side, Byleth decided to take the plunge, a little smirk on his face. Had his students seen it some of them would have surely questioned if he was feeling alright. Or if he'd drunken something he shouldn't have. "Will you be watching me…in a disguise fitting for the occasion?"

Off-balancing knights using verbal blows was not an easy task, or so some would claim. Byleth, on the other hand, seemed to possess a special talent in doing so. Maybe it had something to do with his ability to "read" people as some called it. Whatever it was, he took some…pleasure in it. He took some pleasure in getting Ingrid all flustered.

And he took immense pleasure in getting a rise out of the feared Thunder Catherine.

Sure he had to rewind time, but the memory would stick with him and him alone, which was victory enough for the Ashen Demon. Oh, and an amusing memory for the barefooted goddess occupying space in his head. She got a laugh out of things too.

* * *

This wasn't like him, not at all. He blamed it on the fear, fear that was near alien to him yet had so thoroughly paralyzed every portion of his body he might as well have been a puppet fallen to the ground. Sylvain didn't like the feeling one bit and took out his frustrations on the practice dummies in front of him. So far, he'd gone through four in the last ten minutes. He would have made it five if he didn't catch the familiar hush of breath from his instructor.

"You heard my breathing, recognized it and responded accordingly, that's good, Sylvain." It was a decent enough way to start off the conversation. Stepping out from behind the pillars, Byleth showed himself to be dressed and ready for the school day, albeit classes were going to be cut incredibly early to the point that some weren't even going to be attending class altogether.

"Well, I've had a good teacher, one who's taught me to be weary of all of my surroundings, especially when I'm attacking. He said a moment's victory could turn into a defeat in the blink of an eye if I wasn't careful." They shared a short chuckle at the words spoken by the Ashen Demon, words that apparently Sylvain and his fellow students had taken to heart. "Sorry, about this. Not exactly the way to start off a day like this, huh?"

"No, actually, I full expected to find you here, when no one, not even Felix, would be up and practicing. Annette pestered him enough that he's coming to the ball too."

"Really? That's great! Oh, I can't wait to see the look on his face the lights go up and she's dragging him onto the dance floor!" Cheered the Gautier heir.

"That makes two of us, it'll be a worthy consolation for not going along with my original plan." Declared the former mercenary.

Sylvain's attention was caught. "What original plan?"

"For the White Heron Competition." Explained the professor walking over to the practice dummy his student had been wailing at. Perhaps one more blow and it would have been torn apart. "I was originally going to have Dimitri be our representative in the competition."

"What?!" It felt like all the air had been knocked out of Sylvain as his mind immediately began racing to picture their house leader attempting to dance in such a way he was able to impress the judges. The sight was simply too horrific for him to picture. "Why? Why would you have him do something like that?!"

Byleth looked back to the orange-haired student with a sly smirk that suddenly had the teenage philanderer wondering if he was awake or trapped in some sort of nightmare. "Just for the laughs, he's got impressive footwork so I was willing to wager he could win us the tournament. Or perhaps I should have entered Felix."

That suggestion nearly caused Sylvain to fall backwards onto his buttocks. "P-P-Pro-Professor, I-I'm pretty sure i-i-if you'd done that then he would have grabbed a sword and tried to splint you down the middle. Or become the most unruly student imaginable just to spite you."

"Yeah, but I think it would have been worth it." Waved off the teal-haired swordsman. "I'm glad that I chose Ingrid…and I'm sure you are too." He didn't stop to look back, he could feel the flare up of unease and tension that exploded from Sylvain at the mention of the blonde's name. The air seemingly grew colder as the two men found themselves in an unexpected standoff, or at least unexpected on Sylvain's end. "Sylvain…I'm not romantically interested in Ingrid, I'm a teacher you know." Byleth calmly answered.

This time, the orange-haired teen was sure he could feel his legs about to collapse out from under him. "H-H-H-Huh? Y-Y-You, y-you're not? I-I-I mean, h-hey, what does my opinion matter! Professor, you can be interested in whoever you-"

"There's…someone else." Added the bearer of the Crest of Flames. It was good that his face was hidden from his student's view. Sylvain was insightful, a trait that had earned Byleth's praise and hardened his faith in the boy, but there were times he was too insightful.

Anymore surprises and Sylvain was sure instead of the dining hall he was going to be in the infirmary getting his legs checked out. "Y-You?! Seriously?! Professor, you've got your eyes set on someone? That's great news! Who is it? Let me guess, it's-"

"It's not a romantic attraction," Byleth attempted to cut off. He could tell it wasn't working. "Just…keep it to yourself, and focus on the ball tonight. It's a night for your students to cut loose and enjoy yourself."

"And you teachers too." Sylvain added clapping his professor on the shoulder. "Haven't you heard? Seteh's going to be dancing with Professor Manuela and I hear even Alosi and his wife are going to be there! Grab the girl you've set your sights on and join us!"

"You're to not just pressing me so you can get out of dancing with Ingrid, are you? It'd make all of your and Dimitri's spying go to waste." Spoke the enigmatic teacher in a flat tone.

This time, Sylvain's legs did give out on him, luckily, his professor caught him and gently helped him over to a pillar so he could rest. He sorely needed.

Looking up at his teacher, Sylvain wasn't quite so surprised to find him smirking, if only a little. "Geez, here I was thinking that I'd covered myself well enough."

"Who exactly taught you those stealth moves?" Byleth coolly challenged. "I won't speak a word of what you and Dimitri were-"

"Just me, professor." Admitted the wielder of the Lance of Ruin. "I was spying, Dimitri caught me and got the wrong idea then we…he…gave me a pep talk, kind of like one you're giving me now."

"I see, then I can skip right to the point-don't hurt Ingrid…but don't be afraid of letting your mask fall and let her see the true you. Has she not seen what you really look like all these years and stuck by you?" He inquired as the young noble rose, his expression one of shock that quietly morphed into contemplation. "She's always there for you…and you're always there for her. Your flirting with her is…you do it to cheer her up, don't you? No matter the situation, you're willing to play the part of the fool if it'll uplift her spirits. Isn't that what people do when they care for each other?"

Towards the end, Sylvain realized that his teacher was now asking him genuine questions. He didn't feel qualified to answer them, but he owed him that much, no, he owed the new instructor all he could give. "I…don't know about other people, but it's certainly something I try to do, especially for Ingrid. I…if it's her then I feel like I can shake off my usual habits and dig deep and…I don't know how to describe it. It's just like when I'm beside her, I want to give it my best no matter what's in front of me." He came to the training yard for what he hoped would be some venting, instead he'd gotten a heart-to-heart. It was on that perhaps he realized he'd been putting off, just as he'd been putting off interacting with the target of his growing affections. It took his professor confronting him to realize that he couldn't keep running away forever. "Professor, thank you for the talk, I…I guess I really needed it. Heh, you know, you're not just good at swinging weapons or dueling out combat tactics, right?"

"I just…" Byleth somewhat shyly admitted. "I just want to help as many of you as I can. You're…you're all my students, so any way I can help, I want to give it a shot, even if I don't know what I'm doing."

"Then wing it! That's what I do when I have no idea what's going on!" Shouted the orange-haired student throwing his arms around his professor. "You certainly helped this guy, so much so that he's going to take your advice! And guess what, breakfast this morning is on me! It's a big day so we're both going to need to fill up!" Byleth merely smiled and allowed his student to guide them out into the courtyard, already a few students and teachers were out and about in the early chilly morning. "By the way, if you don't mind me asking, Professor Byleth, how'd you get to be so good at stealth anyway?"

Now, the instructor's expression became distant. Sylvain and his classmates recognized it to be the "memory gaze", a look their teacher wore whenever he was recalling his past exploits alongside his father and fellow mercenaries. A story was coming.

"Once, when I was about fourteen, my father got a request for not a battle, but for an assassination. He was going to turn it down, but our group had a few 'silent killers' as they called themselves in our midst." He paused as they came upon the dining hall. Byleth stared at it, seeing not a sturdy structure for eating by a giant and well-guarded fortress hoisting a captive. "I trained under some of them, one in particular who you remind me of. He was…he was kind to me. One of the people working at the base of the target was a woman he loved. We snuck in…we…killed the target, but in doing so we raised too many alarms. Escaping with our lives looked to be impossible…but the man and his lover…they…they…they sacrificed themselves so we could make our get away. I didn't cry, but I mourned. I think that was the first time I ever saw what romantic love looked like…I wished I had been better so I could go back in time and change things."

Sylvain hadn't been expecting that, not in the slightest. He stood beside the Ashen Demon, his mouth agape and his eyes wide. He'd seen sadness before on numerous people, but there was something…different about seeing it on the normally expressionless professor that he and his housemates had grown to trust and rely on. Perhaps it was because he rarely showed his emotions when he did emote it made the moment all the more meaningful.

"I'm…I'm sorry, teach, I…I didn't mean to bring up such awful memories." He finally said suddenly feeling like he'd stomped over a well-kept garden.

"It's okay, I…I look back on the memories when I'm teaching you." Byleth softly countered. "I look back on them…and try to pick what I need to ensure none of you relive the tragedies that I've witnessed. On…and maybe off the battlefield."

Recovering quickly, Sylvain lightly tapped the older male on the shoulder and winked at him. "Hey, you know what they say, love can be a battlefield. But with someone like watching over us, something tells me we'll be able to make it through."

* * *

So far, everything had gone off without a hitch, at least as far the knights on guard were concerned. No had been killed by foul play or trickery.

That said, several dozen catfights had broken out amongst students and visiting dignitaries. From what Sylvain could see, no had been needed to be sent to the infirmary, yet.

Upon entering the ballroom, Sylvain had done a quick sweep of the place. Even with the time being one for festive joy, a part of him couldn't help but worry about his fellow housemates. As he laid eyes on each of them, he felt a rush of relaxation and relief. Amazingly, Felix and Annette were the first one she spotted, right there on the dance floor. Sylvain's lips curled upward as he spotted the thin but _very _real smile that was on the blue-haired swordsman's face. In spite of proclaiming to the ends of the earth how he'd never attend such a "pathetic and disgusting display of arrogance and stupidity", he seemed to be enjoying himself. He counted that up to his dance party, who seemed to be having the time of her life.

Speaking of time of their lives, Ashe was looking mighty happy as well dancing with…wait, wasn't that Petra from the Black Eagles? Sylvain admittedly did a double-take in seeing the gray-haired archer and the sword-wielding foreigner enjoying themselves. Quickly, his confusion melted away into a smile as he saw the peaceful expressions on both of their faces. Off to the side were Dedue and Mercedes were off to the side…together. Finally, there was Dimitri, himself offering himself to whatever lucky lady was in need of a dance partner or just looking for a casual dance.

_Guy's going to have a mountain of love letters on his desk by the end of the week. _Snickered the Crest-bearer of the Gautier household.

He failed to spot the professor, but he had faith in him, especially after the talk they'd shared early in the morning. That only left one person, the same person who'd occupied his thoughts for the last week.

Sylvain found her dancing…without someone else.

His face tense, he watched as Ingrid feigned affection and accepted half-hearted press from her partner, a nobleman perhaps a year or two older than them. Sylvain could tell from the look on her face she wanted nothing more than to break away from him and perhaps make a dash for the buffet table. Quickly, an idea began to form in the male knight's hand. A grin formed on his face as he began the first step in his plan.

It was taking all that she had not to at politely ask the man currently dancing with her, Menas, that she would like to depart. Unlike that despicable merchant, Menas was an admittedly amicable if somewhat talkative man. He honestly reminded her somewhat of Ferdinand and Sylvain. Speaking of her orange-haired friend, she discretely searched the entire ballroom, yet she couldn't find one trace of him. Ingrid hid it well, but she was beginning to worry. At such an event like this, her childhood friend should have been as obvious as a wolf amongst a herd of sheep, yet she didn't see him.

_What if…what if he didn't come? Surely he's not still sulking over Miklan? _The moment she'd watched the eldest son of the House Gautier transform Ingrid had quietly resolved to strike him down, if only to spear her housemate the agony of slaying his own flesh and blood. Luckily, things had gone different with their professor and Dimitri being the ones to send Miklan off to the hereafter. Naturally, Sylvain himself had tried to brush off the entire incident, but one could see it still gnawed at him, especially when wielding his family's hereditary weapon.

"Ingrid? Is something troubling you?" Came the slightly concerned voice of the visiting noble.

"H-Huh? O-Oh, pardon me, Menas. I suppose you could say I was merely lost in thought for a moment." She'd gotten somberly good at these little rebounds. She prayed that she wouldn't be spending the next several years of her life doing them, though with her luck, Ingrid wasn't holding her breath.

"Ah, I see, well then, if it's alright with you…would you like to continue dancing? I've come to rather enjoy it and I can hear the band picking up." Spoke the redhead hoping she'd say yes.

Out of curtesy, she did, silently resigning herself to what was hopefully going to be a dull but quiet night.

But then, fate decided to blindside her.

"Excuse me, sir, ma'am."

Ingrid knew that voice, she'd been waiting to hear it since the ball began yet the owner had made himself surprisingly scarce. Not anymore.

A single blink and the next thing that Ingrid knew, she was staring into humorful light orange-colored eyes. Subconsciously, Ingrid's mouth curved into a smile. "S-S-Sylvain!"

His hand was on hers, guiding her through countless couples toward the outside. "Ah, Ingrid, you sound happy to see me! Don't worry, I know what I'm doing here!"

She looked back expecting to see Menus chasing after them, but instead, she saw him now holding onto the arms of a startled young woman. She didn't at all seem bothered by the little switch-up that her previous partner had pulled. Finding herself laughing in amusement, she gave her old friend's hand a soft squeeze. _Sylvain…may you never change. _

High above them glistened the countless stars of the night sky, open and shining seemingly just for her. Ingrid childishly counted them as she waited at the wooden picnic table outside the ballroom. She was alone, but not for long. Sylvain came back a moment later balancing plats of food on both of his arms.

"You really are something else, do you know that?" Laughed the blonde as she got up and helped him set the food down. "Sylvain, this is…we can always go back inside and eat and dance if you wish."

"We could," He briefly stated before taking a seat across from her. "But I think this is better. Just the two of us, you're in your element, the wide open beneath the big black sky. All you need is your armor and Pegasus and we'll be set!"

Laughing alongside him, the blonde picked up her fork. "Neither are needed…because I have everything that I could possibly desire right here. Thank you for this…this…I honestly don't even know what to call this."

"Just call it me being me." Coolly played off the male noble. "You, um…I know I already said this, but…you did great at the dance competition. Better than great really, I'd go as far as to say you were like a bird yourself, delicate and graceful. That said…when in battle, you're something like a hawk or a falcon, fierce and proud."

"That's…actually pretty nice to hear." Replied the green-eyed knight. "Sylvain…how have you been lately? I know it's been-"

"This last couple of months have been interesting, haven't they? Kidnappings, terror plots, monsters, and the occasional class scuffle." His musings had gone from upbeat to a tad more…sullen. His face and body gave off an aura of calmness that always caught Ingrid's eye. She found something oddly attractive in seeing the more calmer and mature side of the philanderer; in particularly, she enjoyed seeing it come out for her. "I'm dealing with it as best I can, which I'm sure you've noticed. Still…I'm…I'm hopefully to be honest with you. I'm really hopefully for the future, or at least everyone else's."

"But what about your own, Sylvain?" Ingrid pressed putting her fork down. "It's fine if you worry about everyone else and feel joy for their accomplishments, but what of your own? You have to take care of yourself as well."

"There you go, sounding just like…well, sounding like you." He laughed twirling his knife between his fingers before setting it down. "You should already know, but my only goal for the future is to have as much fun as possible, and I've been doing pretty good at that. Getting into crazy adventures thanks to my friends _and _maybe the greatest teacher to ever come to Garreg Mach, and sharing some smiles and laughs with all of them. I'd say it's been a good life."

"It…" Began Ingrid. Slowly, her face morphed into a blushing smile, her eyes twinkling like a pair of emeralds. "You're right, these last couple of weeks have been quite a journey for us all. Even I…I owe Dedue several apologies."

"Then give them to him tomorrow, and make a promise to yourself to see him for him and not just his nationality. That's what I do." Sylvain gently offered knowing the sensitivity of the topic they were now on. The fact that he was treating it with such care spoke volumes of where his mind was.

Though memories of old raced across her mind, their stay was little as a feeling of relief and optimism washed over the Pegasus Knight. She blamed her friend for it, and indulged in it. "Perhaps I'll take that advice…but first, you owe me a dance, Sylvain." She grinned in seeing his shocked face. "For the record, I was rather enjoying myself in there, but since you snatched me away, I believe you owe some form of payment. A dance with you should be sufficient."

Recovering quickly, the Cavalier rose, his hand going for Ingrid's while he gave her a modest bow. "This isn't like you, usually you hate formal events like this."

"Well, this is a special occasion." Laughed the female student as she found herself in the arms of the boy whom she entrust her life to a hundred times without hesitation. His hands felt incredibly soft and warm, a stark contrast to the somewhat chilly night air that blew around them. "And…you're someone…special, so an exception can be made."

Giving her hands a light squeeze, Sylvain began to move, Ingrid moving with him. Just like on the battlefield, they synchronized with one another. Moonlight shined on the knighted pair as the clouds pulled apart as if by command. Distantly, they could hear the continued thumbing of the music from the ball playing. They both thought that it was perfect, a gentle rhythm for them to dance to and lose themselves in. The outside world, caped off by a blanket of stars and clouds and the glistening moon, was their ballroom, all they needed.

Ingrid placed her shoulder against Sylvain's chest, her eyes closing and allowing for him to take the lead. She said nothing as his left hand slid around her waist; she quite enjoyed the closure. Sylvain was happy that she did as he was enjoying the gentle pressing of her body against his. He wanted it to last forever.

Out of the pair's sight, a trio of onlookers watched on, each of their faces one of bless. The shortest of the group, as well as the sole inhumane, sighed in content, muttering something about the "beauty of life". Silently, the watcher garbed in darkness agreed, his own non-beating heart perhaps giving a single solitary beat of joy. If not that, then what he was feeling in his chest was a good substitute. Finally, the last member, pony-tailed blonde looked away, her smile one of longing and sadness. Seeing the young knights brought back memories of old that she'd tried to run away from.

"Hey, you…um, you still owe me a dance."

"Promise not to throw anything at me this time?"

"Oh, come on, you know people like us can only dance one way. Don't worry, I'll keep you close enough we'll practically be chest to chest, or shall I say sword to sword."

His face illuminated by the light of the moon, the Ashen Demon smiled and followed after the thunderous Knight of Seiros. Just before vanishing into the darkness, he looked back at the two teens, still lost in their quiet dance.

_I promise…moments like this…I'll do everything I can to ensure they can continue._

* * *

**Obviously after this, canonically things go down hill but that's for another day. For now, I just wanted to focus on the day-to-day mishaps and little adventures the cast get into while at the academy. They're really quite fun to write. Some creative liberties were taken in regard to Sylvain and Byleth. For the former, since he holds contempt for most of the girls he flirts with and based on his B-Support with Byleth, I like to think he has something of a darker side he never wants people to see, but once it's out those who do see it are quite good at bringing it under control or not letting Sylvain be ruled by it like his brother was ruled by his insecurities. Regarding Byleth, since he/she grew up amongst mercenaries they likely picked up a number of skills thus explaining in-game how they can be made into a number of different classes minus those that use Faith or Reason since they probably never took to magic amongst a bunch of rough-and-tumble soldiers. **

**Let me all know what you thought of this one! Meanwhile, onto the next one-shot on my list! **


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